Anastasiades and Akıncı agreed on Wednesday to resume their talks in Mont Pèlerin, Switzerland from November 7 to 11. The focus will be on where to draw a line marking the Turkish Cypriot community in the north and Greek Cypriot community in the south — which could result in homes and towns being reassigned, likely from the Turkish area to the Greek. Greek Cypriots want to shrink the Turkish community to reflect their larger population and economy, and take back areas that were traditionally Greek. [...]
That last phase will focus on the future roles of Cyprus’ three guarantor powers — Turkey, Greece and the U.K. — and in particular the presence of more than 30,000 Turkish troops in the north. It would likely be discussed in a meeting between the four governments, plus the U.N., outside of Cyprus. [...]
The question of whether Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will accept an agreement that diminishes his country’s influence in Turkish Cyprus, and the size of its military presence there, still looms large. Greek Cypriots are still skeptical of Ankara’s support, especially since the failed military coup against Erdoğan in July and his purge of the alleged organizers and their supporters.
“It’s uncertain when Erdoğan will agree to pull out his troops. After decimating the army, he wants to prove that he is at least as tough as the military,” said Michael Leigh, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund in Brussels. Greek Cypriots “will never agree” to Turkish troops remaining after reunification, but a gradual withdrawal could work, he added.
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